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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Feeling good about the end of January and what I have accomplished. I hope you feel good about what you have accomplished in January as well. No more regrets, no more feeling like we haven't done enough. We do what we can and we keep moving forward.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

I stood typing wondering where my words would lead me today; what trouble my character would get into, where my words would take me in my blog posts and the memory comes that today is Sunday. Ah yes, it is Check in Sunday for Row80. How have I done since Wednesday and where do I want my writing to go from here?

Friday, January 27, 2012

I have a writer's hangover. What, you may ask, is a writer's hangover? Well it is when you spend the day writing and you forget to drink water, you drink a lot of caffeine, you don't move much, and you stay up too late. I woke up this morning feeling like I had a desert hanging out in my mouth, my brain felt like it was two sizes too big for my head and somebody had put sandpaper under my eyelids or maybe that was the dust from the desert in my mouth blowing into my eyes. I groaned piteously realizing I had a writer’s hangover and I knew exactly why.

Moderation is going to be key to doing these writing challenges. I thought I was keeping it balanced but yesterday I added an extra 30 minute session and I realized I needed to just stick with the three. It will have to do. Either that or I am going to have to not Twitter chat so much between sessions, move away from my laptop, dance (like I love to do) while cleaning house, and remember to drink lots of water. Oh and no more staying up until 2:30 in the morning. I am just getting too old for that. I need my beauty sleep.

Have you ever had a writer's hangover? I would love to hear what created it and what your remedies are for it. As for me… I took four Advil, drank a bottled water, Green juice, Gatorade, and two, yes two cups of Chai tea. Then I prayed for some semblance of normalcy to return to my head.

It seems incredible that it has only been less than a week since I discovered a wonderful world of writing on Twitter. First I found out about #wordmongering through Julie at Julie Unplugged that I have found to be a wonderful writing companion. Then through our #commenthour discovered how many of us were either working on books or wanted to be working on a book. Within our weekly #commenthour, as we were discussing writing, #row80 came up, as well as many other wonderful writing tools such as Yarny; which I absolutely love!

I started #wordmongering in Twitter on Monday and discovered I could write the max of 1400 words in 30 mins. By the end of the day I decided I would rather slow down and do quality rather than quantity. Now I am typing from 800 to 1000 in a 30 min. session.

I have a couple of books I am working on but I have decided to work on just one for now. It is a young adult sci-fi fantasy.

My first goal is to attend #wordmongering 3 times a day. It seems to be working for me so I am going to stick with it. That is three sessions of 30 mins. a day. I did four today but I don't know how often I will have time for that. My total word count today was 3530. On average this week it has been around 2000 a day.

My second goal is to keep up my main blog Shadow Rhythms with at least three posts a week. It is very important to me that it doesn't suffer because I have created another blog for this writing adventure.

My third goal is to find guest bloggers for my blog as well as offer my services as guest blogger on other blogs.

I think I am going to leave it at that for now. I am sure I am going to add and expand them as time goes on.

I look forward to sharing this writing adventure with you.

Do make the Comment Fairy happy and leave your words of support and words of wisdom.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

I love books; all different kinds of books. Being a woman I tend to like books about women or books for women. My most favorite categories are women’s self help, alternative healing, sci-fi fantasy and adventurous romantic comedies. Well they aren’t labeled as comedies but there are certain authors that just seem to have a lot of funny moments in their books. Like Julie Garwood in her later books, such as Mercy; one of my favorites.

There are times that I want to retreat from the world and my favorite past time for that is reading a wonderfully delicious book that so captures my attention that I can't hear or see anything else. Sometimes I am looking for something to help me lift my mood and other times just looking for entertainment. Then there are the times I want to know about something, really know it, I turn to books. When I wanted to plant a garden I went to the library and came home with about a dozen books. Another time I went to the library, not knowing what I wanted to do with my life, spent hours there and came home with over twenty books.

I love the way books smell, how they feel in my hands, and how I can use them to discover a message the universe has for me by randomly opening up the book to a page and reading.

When it comes to self help I have to say my number one favorite is Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach. One of the best books I have ever read and still read. I love how inspirational it is and no matter what kind of mood I am in, it lifts me up.

She begins in the month of January leading you through her daily ruminations. She explains her journey in a way that appeals to the woman looking to not only lighten her load, but to empower herself to live authentically.

One night, about fifteen years ago, while I was perusing the book store, this book was just sitting there face out on the best seller shelf. I mostly read novels up to this point. Not much in the way of self-help only a few books on healing and alternative spirituality. This big pink book was sitting there staring at me. I picked it up and opened to a world of gratitude journals, three by five cards with empowering words scattered all over my apartment then my house, the beginning of many illustrated discovery journals, many hours of organizing, and gardening,

This book stayed with me through several breakups, a journey across the U.S. with my dog, and many traumatic and dramatic events in my life. It has been a constant companion.

A few years ago I decided to help a single mom have a good Christmas for her daughters; I was missing mine. Just before I dropped off the gifts for her daughter’s I wondered what I could give this mom that is having a hard time. I immediately thought of Simple Abundance. I didn’t have time to get it for her so I gave her mine. I wrote an inscription telling her how much this book has meant to me and that I hoped she would discover wonderful inspiration within the pages.

It actually took me awhile to replace it. I started feeling the vacant spot on my shelves from not having it there. I would go to find it then remember I didn't have it anymore. I finally went to the used bookstore and there were several copies on the shelf. I decided to buy two. That way I would always have an extra one to give away in case the opportunity presented itself.

I don’t usually read Simple Abundance every day; I only open it on occasion when I am feeling the need for a pick me up or inspiration. It always does me wonders. At the beginning of this month I decided to get it out again and began reading from the front of the book. I decided it was time to go through the pages once more. I am reading it daily now and I am enjoying it once again.

What book are you currently reading and is it one that you love to share or something new?

Leave a comment of your favorite book and a link to your blog if you love books as much as I do.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Change your focus from, "I can't lose weight no matter what I do" to how you feel. It is time to throw away your scale. It is more important how you feel than it is for you to be stressing and focusing on whether you have lost or gained weight.

What can you do that will help you change how you feel?

The point of everything we do is to feel better, to love our life and enjoy the moment of now. How can you enjoy it if you are constantly worrying about how much you weigh or what you are putting in your mouth; change your focus.

I don’t like the word exercise I believe that doing activities that are fun and active are more important than doing "exercise". I believe it is more important to how you feel. If you feel like crap while you are doing exercise and hating it the whole time or wishing it was over, how is that helping your body and mind? It is all about doing what you love, that makes you smile; radiating happiness makes you look beautiful.

Wouldn’t it be better to be loving whatever it is that you are doing? I believe that adding activities that you love are more important such as walking and dancing; make it fun. If you don't love it don't do it. Whatever you choose to do add more movement into your body in fun ways and you will begin to see a difference.

What else can you do to feel good about yourself that would encourage you to eat healthier?

How do you walk? Do you have lightness in your step, do you sway your hips, do you consciously place your feet on the earth? Do you sashay, do you walk fast, do you walk slow, do you saunter? Do you smile when you walk? Are you enjoying your walk, do you feel like a wild and juicy woman with secrets that make you smile; remembering when you danced in your living room to your favorite song.

No more scale no more looking at how much you weigh or how much you have lost or gained. No more. It is time to love your body as it is; bring fun back into your life and allow your choices to slowly become healthier because you have begun to love yourself more. You will naturally begin to choose healthier and healthier choices.

Reward yourself by doing something fun like going to a museum or concert. You will smile more because of all the fun you are having. Not for someone else. When anxiety pops up, like you know it will, you can breathe and remember it is one step at a time, one dance at a time, and just one movement at a time to get to where you want to be. Don’t be in a hurry. Love the moment. Smile and enjoy the feelings of knowing you are learning to love yourself more.

What can you do today that is fun? What one thing can you do differently that will add more movement into your life that you would enjoy doing?

I know you can do it. If I can do it you can do it. I have added just a couple of things that I am doing differently and I have noticed that I am slowly feeling better about me and having a genuine love for myself.

Losing weight and getting healthy doesn’t have to be torture. It all comes down to how you feel about yourself. That is where it started anyway wasn’t it? You didn’t feel good about yourself so you reached for food; I know I did and still do sometimes. Forgive yourself, love yourself, be okay with who you are and where you are right now.

Leave a comment with your link to your blog that talks about how you look at weightloss and the differences you are seeing and doing.

Remember... Throw away your scale; it is about feeling good now not how much you weigh.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Are you feeling angry? Do you want to do something about it? This is a most auspicious time to deal with your anger issues. Mars in Retrograde is going to be pushing your buttons for the next few months.

There are several things that can trigger my anger.

·Things not being where I think they should be especially in the kitchen.

·Feeling like my time is being wasted.

·Fairness is a pretty big trigger for me; don’t get me started on politics.

·When I get frustrated with myself or someone else is also triggering for me.

What triggers your anger? Make sure you look at all of the different triggers that push your buttons.

What do I do about my anger?

If I get too angry I have to separate myself from the situation. I have even been known to send myself to my room on occasion. I breathe a lot; long slow deep breaths. Once I calm down enough I start asking myself questions.

1.What triggered the anger/Why am I so angry?

2.Who am I really angry at?

3.What am I really angry about?

4.What is going on in my life right now or in the past that is similar to this situation?

5.Is this something important or can I simply let it go?

It is important that you look at your anger from every angle to understand it and be able to let it go.

Mars in Virgo is pushing you and me to ask even deeper questions.

What sacred work are you not doing? Do you have an outlet for your inner Priestess/Priest? Do you need to spend more time dancing with your inner masculine? Is your inner masculine angry? Are your inner masculine and inner feminine balanced? Are they working together in harmony to help you achieve your dreams? What do you need to do differently? What can you change within yourself to not get this angry next time?

Knowing the astrological sign of your Mars can allow you to go deeper still. My Mars in Gemini is asking me…

How can I incorporate more play into my life? What activities can I do on my own reinforcing my independence? What do I need to do to allow the little girl in me time to play? How can I make my writing more playful?

After asking myself all of these questions and exploring the answers, I check in with myself to make sure I have let go of the anger and that I am not holding onto it. If I need to do a clearing I either use InnerSpeak or one of my other clearing techniques. If I allowed my anger to spill over onto someone else I make amends. I may possibly even thank the person or situation for helping me see this piece of myself that I needed to clear. My favorite choice for a closing is to dance into and out of it.

Being able to not take yourself so seriously and finding more ways to laugh can really help you get through this shadow time period.

Monday, January 23, 2012

When I think of my goals I have to admit I get overwhelmed and a little anxious. My professional goals seem so big and unattainable. So I breathe and take my goals a little at a time; break them down into small attainable goals to see that I am moving forward and to feel a sense of achievement.

One of my long term goals is to become a life coach and grief counselor helping women believe in and find their personal power. I plan on going back to school for my human services degree as well as getting my certificate in life coaching within the next year.

On a shorter term goal, I have completed the master/teacher level in many workshops on healing modalities and taken many classes on healing and personal power. I have co-facilitated a few classes with other teachers and facilitators and now feel it is time to teach on my own and fully step into the facilitator role.

I am breaking down this goal into small steps toward attaining and reaching this goal.

Decide which workshop I am going to teach

Create a class outline

Where I am going to hold the classes

Research marketing

Create class supplies and workbooks

The first step would be deciding which workshop I am going to be facilitating, which I have decided will be Seven Rays, and then I am going to tackle my goal for creating a class outline.

What goals have you set for yourself?
What are you going to tackle this week?
What steps are you willing to take to achieve your goals?

Moving your body is so important and I believe so strongly in it that I decided to do Get Moving Mondays to share how to change your focus from exercise to moving your body in fun ways. My first post for Get Moving Monday is I Hate Exercise.

Get Moving Monday and how it works.

I will be Tweeting the hashtag #GetMovingMonday every week and sharing my post with you. In turn I am hoping you will share your movement adventures from your blogs by tweeting the hashtag #GetMovingMonday as well as sharing your link to your blog to your post.

Do you have a blog on movement or how you are losing weight? I would love for you to leave your link to how you are adding movement back into your life and what works for you. Make sure you check out some of the other links posted to read what others are doing to increase movement in their lives.

I dislike the word hate but I hate exercise. The whole time I am thinking, “When is this going to end, this is tedious, I really don’t like this, is it over yet.” I am tired of being told that if I would just exercise I would be healthy. I am also refusing to let the scale rule me. Throwing My Scale Away

In the past when I have determined that I am going to lose weight, I have become obsessed with the scale. I often would weigh myself two and three times a day if not more.Not this time and not ever again. I am throwing my scale away. The past couple of years the scale has not been my friend. I can't lose weight by focusing on my weight. I am choosing to change my focus to how I feel and I choose to feel good.

My Motivation to Lose Weight

I have two young grandbabies. One is two and a half and the other is a newborn. There isn’t a single picture of me and the newborn because I have completely avoided being in front of the camera. Every time I pass a mirror I find myself saying, “Ewww or Ick!” Enough! I want to be in pictures with my grandbabies and I want to feel good when I look in the mirror.

Changing My Focus

As of this morning I am looking in the mirror and smiling; just smiling. You can’t help but feel good when you smile. No more thinking about how much I weigh or how fat I think I am. I am dressing in clothes that make me feel good; fixing my hair and make-up to my liking and by the end of this week I will have my picture taken with my Grandbaby.

Make A Change

I changed one thing last week that has already made a huge difference in how I feel. I started standing while typing on the computer. I now mostly type in the kitchen at my island counter.If I need a break from standing I have a stool that I sit on for very short periods but not for long. I also mostly type with music on that makes me want to move. As I am standing there typing, I am moving my body, wiggling, bopping, vibrating to the music.

When a particularly good dancing song comes on I stop writing and just dance. This allows me to shake out of my body all that I don’t want and connect in to my higher self/soul so that the words can flow. It also gets me moving in a fun way, helps me feel good, and I no longer obsess about how much I weigh because I know that if I keep moving this much the weight is going to just melt off.

Change Your Focus and Move Your Body

What change in your life can you make that will help you change your focus? How can you add more movement back into your life that is fun and doesn’t feel like exercise?

Remember… It is important to only move as much as is comfortable to you; it shouldn’t be painful or over taxing. Even if you can only move a little bit it is important to move at least a little and then over time you will be able to move more and more.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Anger can be a persistent little bugger when life isn’t going the way you want or think it should.Mars Retrograde is a great prodding stick that is trying to tell you that you are off track. It pokes you, you get angry, and then you have a choice to either blame others or figure out what’s going on.Are you going to let your anger issues rule you or are you ready to do what is necessary to put your life on course and live your dreams as you were meant to?This message is as much for me as it is for you. Mars has been poking me for awhile now and mostly I have just been breathing fire. Not a good choice. Don’t get me wrong, anger has its place but we need to remember what it is for; to figure out what the problem is, solve it, and take action.

Mars will officially be in Retrograde on January 24th, 2012 through April 14th,, 2012. But you can feel the effects before and after this time period. So hold onto your hat for an interesting ride.

So what does this mean for you?

Remember – Retrogrades are shadow periods; opportunities for you to become aware of issues that may be bothering you, clear what needs to be cleared and integrate. The opportunity of working with Mars Retrograde only happens every two years and two months. So if you don’t clear up those anger issues now you could have an ulcer by the time the next one comes around. I know I am going to be diligently working this one.

Mars represents the masculine. We each have both the feminine and the masculine within; the goal is to get them working together. Maybe if we can get our feminine and masculine to work together we may have a chance for men and women to finally understand each other. It’s a thought.

The masculine side of your self is the action taker, the passion that pushes you in the right direction. If you are not friends with your masculine side you may find it difficult to finish projects. I know I've had many projects over the years sitting in the back of my closet just wishing I would figure things out so they could be completed.

During MercuryRetrograde you may have had mishaps in communications and technology if you had issues from the past that needed to be cleared. Mars Retrograde triggers your anger, it lets you know the issues with the masculine side that needs to be looked at and cleared.

So if you are standing in line at the grocery store and the woman in front of you has a million coupons and you just want to get home to cook dinner, try not to breathe fire into her hair because you’re angry you didn’t remember your own coupons. You realize that if you used coupons regularly you would have the extra money to buy that skirt you’ve been wanting.

Or maybe you’re angry because you’re in the line at all. Maybe you think someone else should be doing the shopping and you’re wasting your time when you would rather be home writing.

Or maybe you’re thinking all about her wasting your time, think again. It is probably about how you feel you are wasting your time watching T.V. instead of doing a project you’ve been dying to do forever but were too afraid to attempt.

Or maybe you feel you are wasting your time in a dead end job when what you really want is to be running your own business.

Anger is going to be the barometer for what’s going on during this shadow period. Make note of when you’re getting angry and why. Ask yourself questions about the incident that brings the focus back to you. Because this isn’t about other people or situations; it is about you.

It is very helpful if you have an astrological chart to reference; it will help you go deeper with this process if you know your Mars sign. There will be further discussion in another post about how this helps.

Mars is in Virgo during this shadow period and Virgo in Shamanic Astrology is the Priest/Priestess or your Sacred Work. Your anger may be triggered when you are frustrated with how you are spending your time. What is your Sacred Work? Are you in some way doing work that is sacred to you.

Words to work with when you are diving into what your masculine means to you and how your masculine side can help you achieve your goals:

Reexamine your life and what is really important to you.

Rediscover how your masculine can help you take action on your ideas.

Rethink what the masculine means to you.

Remember to be kind on your journey; to yourself and others.

Recharge your battery and take time to rest.

Review what sacred work means to you and what your purpose in life is.

Reawaken your passion for life and how your masculine and feminine can work together.

Now is not the time to take action on the questions or the answers you find within them. It is a time to reflect and give yourself the time to know more about yourself. Later, after Mars has gone direct, take action on your discoveries.

Something to keep in mind – If you know you get angry easily because you haven’t eaten properly or on time, this would definitely be a good time to make sure you eat. Otherwise you may find your anger getting the better of you and biting someone’s head off. If there are any other regular triggers for you such as being late or you aren’t able to find what you’re looking for, then you may want to take actions to remedy these situations before they happen. It would be a good time to reorganize your home so that your life flows a little more easily.

Watch for Mars Retrograde posts over the next couple of months that will help you maneuver this shadow period.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

If you are having trouble writing, this is a creative writing activity that will surely get your creative juices flowing. This will have you coming up with creative writing ideas faster than you can write them. Have fun being creative and writing to your heart's content.

Do you remember playing dress up when you were little? I remember loving putting on all of those grown-up clothes and pretending I was a princess from a far away land.I would pretend I was a doctor that saved the world from some horrible disease, or an adventurer exploring imaginary caves and forests. It is time to play dress up and explore the imaginary world of creative possibilities for your writing.

What you will need:

·Time – from two hours to a whole day. Longer is better but don’t avoid doing this creative activity because you think you don’t have enough time.

·Fun, adventurous, playful, and/or pretty clothes. Let your imagination run wild. (If you don’t have anything around the house, go to a second hand/thrift store and buy only items that you would never wear in real life or clothes you wish you were brave enough to wear. Make sure you have at least several outfits

·Music – choose all different kinds of music including some of your favorites. Make sure you have at least eight hours worth and slow as well as fast. Don’t worry you won’t be dancing the whole eight hours but it is better to have too much music than not enough. Be creative with your choices and remember to choose at least one empowering song. Try not to spend too much time choosing music. Don’t let this be an excuse for not doing this activity, if you have to just turn on your favorite radio or internet station and use that.

·Writing materials – Can be anything from your computer to crayons and anything in between. You may want to have different mediums on hand such as pens, pencils and markers with blank and lined paper.

·Prepared and easy foods to snack during breaks. Make them delicious and comfort food. When I did something like this, I had cheese, good bread, apples, soup, juice, water, and tea. Of course I had dark chocolate; it is my favorite indulgence.

You have gathered all of your fun tools and are ready to begin. Put on some fun music, dress up in your fun clothes and dance around to at least one song if not three. Don’t overdo it; if you feel winded or pain stop. While you are dancing, allow your troubles and worries to fly away, shake them out of your body. Think about what you want to accomplish with your writing; continue a project you have already started or starting a new one, writing for yourself, your blog, an article, a short story or that great American novel you have been aching to finish.

Be as playful as you can; allowing the little girl in you to come out and play.

Now put on music that you can write to and sit, or stand as I am doing now with my laptop on the kitchen island, and write a list of post/article titles, chapter titles, or any creative writing list you want to write about. As you are writing, when a song comes on that you want to move to, go dance around and be silly, or if you are standing, bebop around while you are writing.

If you feel stuck or have anxiety pop up stop writing and go dance. Crank the music and let it vibrate through your body. At any time while you are dancing connect to your higher self; ask for clear communication to flow through to your writing. Feel the love of God/the Universe/Divine Spirit/Your Higher Self, then get back to writing. Try not to stop writing, except to dance, for at least two hours if not four and then take a break.

Remember you can change into another of your fun dress up clothes at any time during the day.

Set up an eating area that would make the little girl in you happy; a blanket in the middle of the living room floor or out on the deck, in the middle of your yard. Maybe you are dressed in a ball gown and want to set your table with your best dishes and light some candles. Let your heart guide you. Say a little prayer of gratitude for this day and this food. Eat slowly, enjoying every bite.

When you are done eating, clean up, put on some slower music to lightly sway to, thinking about where you want your writing to go. Then take one of the titles you created before and begin writing, not letting yourself stop for at least two hours if not four; only stopping to dance, dress up, bathroom breaks, snacks, and then right back to writing.

If you can’t come up with many or any titles and would like some help, I have a list of creative ideas to get you started.

Remember to dance when stuck or when a song comes on that you want to move to then right back to writing. Experiment with writing to sad music, fast music, slow music, happy music, inspiring music; be as creative with it as you want.

Make My Day And Leave a Comment because comments thrill me more than dark chocolate.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

This process is very quick and easy. Once you have it down it only takes a few minutes and is very effective.When you have tried everything else and it is still hanging on.

I was helping my partner do clearings for herself over a weeks time and on one of the days this came to me. Even if you use a different energy system with different symbols, I believe this still something you can do. It is the intent behind it. Depending on how rooted the issue is you may need to do this a couple of times a day for about a week or so.

This is what Christie, my partner, had to say about it:

"It is a gentle process and a way to clear old wounds that still have a charge."

If you are attuned to Reiki and/or Karuna Ki but have lost and/or forgotten your symbols, you may contact me and I will share them with you. If you are not attuned to one or both and would like to know more about it you can contact me for more information. I believe ver strongly that using these powerful energy systems can help us a great deal during these stressful times. may you feelt eh oneness and love of the universe.

Activate the Master symbol (DaiKoMyo or Dumo)

Think of the situation you want to clear

Activate the long distance/time traveler symbol (HonShaSeiShoNen) asking it to go to the root (where it began) of the situation

Activate the symbol (Zonar) that breaks things up and you can add a hear/love symbol (Harth) to break it up with love

Activate the emotional healer/healing symbol (SeHeiKi) if you have a power symbol (ChoKuRei) activate it now, focus on healing the emotional aspect of the situation

Activate any symbols for Peace/LoveWholeness/Om (ShantiHarth/Iava/Om) (Iava is actuall a healer and manifester but I was instructed to add this symbol here) to send loving, peaceful energy to the healing of the situation

Activate grounding symbol (Rama) and place on bottom of feet and on the second chakra (lower abdomen) fully grounding the energies and yourself

Say a prayer of gratitude

Now if you are saying, "I really don't have time to do this." like a friend of mine, then print this as well as your symbols and hang it up in your bathroom. You spend time in there every day. You can do this as you brush your teeth, you can laminate it and hang it in your shower to do quickly as you wash up, and well you know lots of people read during the other use of the bathroom. :D

Pleaer share this with anyone and everyone you wish to share it with. All I ask is that you add a link back to this page.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

I have a posting that I have been working on for days. Or rather not working on for days. It is amazing when a writer wants to write about something but allows fears to stop them. I have popped on and off of Twitter, Facebook, did so called research, made connections but still have avoided the white page. This is actually a posting that I really want to do.

A couple of times I have asked myself if it is because I am not feeling confident in the topic. I often feel like I have to know something really well before I write about it. I am beginning to think it is actually that this topic is one that I need to work with/on. I imagine my subconscious is stearing me away because it knows that I will have to do the work myself and not just share the knowledge.

Do you ever feel like that when you want to write about something but keep avoiding it?

When writers stop writing it often is attached to some form of fear. Fear of not being good enough. Fear of not having anything to say. Fear that no one will want to read it. The key is pushing past the fear. Telling yourself that it doesn't have to be perfect; you just have to write it because if you don't you will be miserable.

I will write the posting because it means so much to me. Maybe tonight I will focus on the questions and discover what needs to be healed within myself first and in the process have a better understanding of the subject I will be writing about.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Sitting still doesn't come easy for me. When I started learning about meditation, over twenty years ago, I was one of those that would sit and feel my nose twitch, toe itch, peek from under my lashes to look at the clock type meditator. For most of my meditation life I have found guided meditations to work the best even if I am guiding them myself. Sitting quietly and emptying my mind just didn't do it for me.

Toning and Meditation

Around eight years ago I started toning and discovered a new avenue for meditation. While toning it seems I can let go of thoughts and just sit but I still prefer to sway at least a little. I love the feeling of vibrations that run through my body as I am toning through a meditation. Toning can be anything from humming to full on, open mouth, deep or high tones. Sometimes I go through the chakra tones.

Beginning to Move

Over the last couple of years I have learned how to do Shamanic Breathwork and Trance dance. Both can be a type of meditational journey. I noticed that I seemed to move a lot during each of these. I decided to experiment with moving to world music (mostly James Asher) as a moving meditation. Even if I don't receive insights (sometimes I do) while I am moving and dancing to the music, mostly with my eyes closed, (for about fifteen minutes) I usually have some type of inspiration within a few minutes after and I then journal it out.

Try It YourselfIf you are like me and have a hard time meditating, try putting on two to four pieces of music from medium to fast with a slow down at the end. Sway, wiggle, vibrate, moving any which way that feels good and comfortable to you. If any movement causes pain stop moving in that way. Only do what you are comfortable with.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

My blogging friend, Tui Snider, has a wonderful blog, Mental Mosaic, that I love to visit regularly. Yesterday during my visit I discovered her Seven Links Challenge: Tag - I'm it! posting. By the time I was done reading I knew I really wanted to play. Thankfully Tui decided to tag me.

Tui and I met through Relish11 this last December. I instantly knew I had met a kindred soul. She is a bright shining star that instinctively knows how to help others glow in each of their interactions. Her blog is fresh with insights and honesty mixed with inspiring photography that beautifully describe her travels through her home state. I hope you check her blog out at Mental Mosaic.

Rules for the Seven Links Challenge:

Blogger is nominated to take part.Blogger publishes his/her 7 links on his/her blog – 1 link for each category. This shouldn’t take you long to do – don’t over-think it!

~Your most beautiful post

~Your most popular post

~Your most controversial post

~Your most helpful post

~A post whose success surprised you

~A post you feel didn’t get the attention it deserved

~The post that you are most proud of

Blogger nominates up to 5 more bloggers to take part.(Feel free to nominate any kind of blog to take part – we want this project to be as inclusive as possible!)These bloggers publish their 7 links and nominate another 5 more bloggers and so it goes on!

Most Beautiful Post

Transforming My Energy This was actually one of the hardest for me to choose. I mean what makes a post beautiful? That was my thought anyway. I chose this post because to me it was a beautiful thing when you can transform your energy and I really loved the art that I created during my transformation.

Most Popular Post

Love to Write - Relish11 This post is a fairly new one but it has quickly risen to the top and far surpassed in numbers of any other post. I had decided to write more posts on writing, especially in relation to the creative and shadow process, and this has shown me my readers really do want more.

Most Controversial Post

Discover - Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness I went back and forth over choosing this one I guess because it really is controversial. There are a lot of opinions to what is going on and how it is affecting all of us. For those that are quick to choose to believe how the media is portraying the events of the day, I say please do some research. Don't just blindly follow along. Go in search of the truth and decide for yourself.

Vices - Resound11 Prompt02 It is the conversation within the comments that surprised me. I don't think I thought anyone would even care about this post let alone comment. I guess you never know what is going to inspire someone to ask a question or make a comment.

A Post You Feel Didn't Get the Attention it Deserved

Unblocking the Writer's Creative Soul This is a post that I feel deeply about sharing with other writer's that have trouble with feeling blocked. It not only doesn't have any comments but hasn't been viewed much. Here is hoping that some of you find it helpful.

When I accepted this challenge I had no idea that this part would be the hardest part. I wanted to share this challenge with people that I actually knew and that blog. I was surprised by how many people don't blog, especially those that I love to read comments in other social media. Here are some of my friends that I love that also have a passion for blogging and helping others. I hope they choose to accept the challenge and I hope you decide to check them out.

Sherri L. Mclendon at Professional Moneta Not only is she one of my Circle Sisters, but she is a fabulous wordsmith that has a passion for helping women understand and move past their fears in the business world.

Stacey Beth Shulman at Curvy Yogini This wonderful woman has created safe space for all shapes and sizes to explore yoga. I love the work she is doing and even if you never thought of doing yoga you just might decide to check it out after visiting her blog.

Emily Francis Smith at Inspirational Daze is an author and lives a life of inspiration. I met her online weeks before her wedding. Her love was and is infectious.

Jyoti Hanagud Kaneria at Mindful Creations I met this talented woman when I was going through massage school. She has great passion for her family, friends, creative arts, and with much heart brings awareness that everything we do matters.

Isis Phoenix is the Sensual Shaman This wise woman shares her wealth of experience and takes you on journeys of healing that leave you feeling at peace. Just arriving at her blog has me breathing a deep sigh of contentment.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Wow what a year 2011 was. It would be easy to focus on all of the negatives that have happened in the past year but what a ride of discovery and change it has been. 2011 was a pivotal year for me from finding out about the different timing of my astrological chart to the many epiphanies throughout the year. The creation of Shadow Rhythms and all of the insights into using the shadow planets to further understanding my shadow journey of course is high on my list.

Using music and dance to connect to my muse.

Creating change by changing the way I think.

That standing still doesn't have to be boring, bad, or stagnant but can be an enlightening time listening to the stillness within as well as learning to just be. (I have certainly had a lot of "just be" time.)

Diving into my creations and daring to allow myself to truly explore the possibilities. Gaining true understanding that my creations do not have to be quick and easy; they can be slow and intricate.

Embracing being a grandmother and all that it means to be a Mama to a Mama.

Realizing that change is constant and necessary for spiritual growth.

Discovering what I actually need from what I thought I needed.

Most of all a deep understanding of what is truly important above everything else and what I am most grateful for... my family.

There is probably so much more but I believe less is more in these times of great change. With a very grateful heart, I hope you can see all of the wonderous changes from your year and feel as blessed as I do.

What epiphanies, realizations, insights and discoveries did you make in 2011?

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Grab a cup of tea or coffee (oh what the heck, get a danish too!) and sit a spell. You might want to grab your notebook and pen because you never know when you will be inspired to write down a quote, or jot down a poem of your own. Words are like that, they take you on a journey and the next thing you know you are breathing life into your own magical world of words.